corneal graft

[mikkey3023]

Hello to everybody, i havnt been on this site for a long time , i hope everybody is well ,
Ive just put this thread on here as i have advanced Keratoconus in both eyes , ive had hydrops in both eyes previous , the left eye tolerates an rgp lens , but the right eye has a split in Descemets membrane .
I was referred to moorfields a few weeks ago and have been told i need a full thickness corneal transplant in this eye .
I am a bit worried obviously as dont know what to expect and am concerned about taking steroids for any long period after ,can anybody share their experience of this please if possible ?

Many thanks
Michael

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello Michael,
My full thickness grafts were back in 86 and 88 and are still going strong. As far as I remember, I was on steroid drops for about 6 months after each op. The usual regime is to use drops every few hours for the first few weeks, after which the frequency gradually reduces over the next months. Steroid eye drops don't have the side effects of steroids in tablet form, so shouldn't be anything to worry about.
If you put 'corneal graft' or 'corneal transplant' into the search on this forum, you'll find lots of stories from members, including several good blogs. I guess more people have partial thickness grafts these days (unless, like you, they've had a hydrops or have a lot of scarring) but the experience is much the same.
All the best,
Anne

[GrandPaClanger]

Hi

I had a full thickness graft in May 2011 like you I could not tolerate a lens. The op it's self is straight forward enough. No pain after more of a gritty feeling. I work in IT so took a couple of weeks off work ( but in reality I was responding to emails within a couple of days). There are regular appointments afterwards so its good to get your employer on board early (I have had two and they have both been great). Don't expect 20/20 straight after the op it takes time and you may still need glasses or a contact.

On the subject of steroids what's your concerns ? They are in drop form so the impact should be limited to the eye. Having said that I did have some issues. I am a steriod responder so it puts the preassure in my eye up so i am on a couple of differnt drops for that. The first type they gave me was dexamatasone which is powerfull stuff one drop means one drop. I was taken off that because of the Preasure issue and went on to Vexol. I am now on FML which is even weaker. Because the risk of rejection is a bit higher with a full thickness graft I understand that some people remain on FML long term. Steroids can give you a cataract and guess who got one . I had that done a couple of months ago. It's actually a posative thing as they can fit a lens with correction to improve your vision. Mine is a lot better now. Back in September before the cataract developed a was wearing a soft daily disposable lens which was great. It was a power of -3.75. I can tell now that the vision is not that far out. It needs a tweak I will know exactly how much next week when I go for a follow up. I can now move around make drinks etc without lenses in which is a major bonus. We flew back from Turkey early morning a couple of weeks ago and a was able to take the contact lens out of my other eye in the airport and sleep on the plane something I have never done before.

You have a long road ahead but it should be worth it. I know it was for me although I still have a little way to go. As I said earlier its not normally an overnight fix

Good luck
Ian

[mikkey3023]

Thank you , both Anne and Ian , very much appreciated your stories and experiences , makes me feel better knowing you both came through the process with positive outcomes , i hope you both have a long and healthy future concerning your eyes .

Cheers
Michael